WASHINGTON DC, United States — A giant panda at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in 2008, when the facility housed three pandas: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub Tai Shan. The National Zoo's giant panda program, which began in 1972, represents a significant collaboration between the United States and China. Through successful breeding programs, the zoo has contributed to giant panda conservation efforts.
Photograph by David Coleman. In 2008, the Smithsonian's National Zoo's giant panda program featured three pandas: adult pair Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, who arrived in 2000, and their cub Tai Shan, born in 2005. The National Zoo's involvement with giant pandas began in 1972, following President Nixon's historic visit to China, when the first pair of pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, arrived as gifts. The zoo's panda habitat, designed to mimic their natural environment, includes both indoor and outdoor areas with features such as rock formations, pools, and stands of bamboo. Tai Shan, the first surviving panda cub born at the National Zoo, represented a significant achievement in captive breeding efforts. The presence of these pandas in Washington DC symbolized both scientific achievement in conservation and diplomatic ties between the United States and China. As part of the global giant panda conservation program, the National Zoo conducts research and participates in international efforts to protect this endangered species.
Size: 3942px × 2714px
Location: Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States
Photo credit: © David Coleman | Have Camera Will Travel / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, -visit, 2008, activities, ailuropoda, america, animal, animals, attractions, bamboo, breeding, capital, care, china, chinese, columbia, conservation, cub, dc, diplomacy, district, education, endangered, exhibit, exhibits, family, forest, giant, habitat, historic, loan, mei, melanoleuca, nation, national, panda, pandas, park, photography, photos, preservation, program, protection, shan, smithsonian, species, states, success, tai, tian, united, washington, wildlife, xiang, zoo, zoological
